Lesson plan

Topic: Describing places - using AI to create images to describe.

Unit of work: “Cityscape” - Unit 3 gateway to the world, Macmillan

Level: B1+ (Intermediate) - seventeen-year old students - fifth year secondary school.

Duration: 80 minutes

Learning Objectives: 

By the end of the lesson students will be able to:

• analyze visual aids to select and use appropriate vocabulary related to places

• identify descriptive language and specific expression in a recording. 

• apply specific expressions to describe pictures. 

• create an imagined place using descriptive vocabulary and specific expressions through a DALL·E 3 image prompt. .

• Evaluate and revise DALL·E 3 prompts to improve visual outcomes. 

Materials:

• Projector or smart board

• Students’ computers or mobile phones 

WARMER

T shows a picture of a place on the board. By asking “What can you see in the picture?” T elicits students' ideas and writes them on the board. 

WEB

Then, T instructs the students to listen to a recording about a person describing the picture on the board. As a purpose of listening, T asks  “Which words does the speaker use to describe the photo?”

 After eliciting the answers, T plays the recording again and writes specific expressions to be used for future descriptions such as: in the photo I can see, in the foreground/background, at the top/bottom , on the right/left, in the top/bottom left/right corner. 

After that, T changes the picture on the and in pairs, students have to describe it using the expressions they have just learnt.  T goes around to monitor and support  their work. 

Then, T tells the students that, in groups of three,  they are going to create a picture of an imaginary place or a place they have never been to but would like to visit. To do this, they will use DALL·E 3. 

T explains how this tool works step by step on the screen and highlights the importance of writing a good , detailed prompt. Also, T emphasizes that they may need to refine the prompt several times until they get the picture they want. To demonstrate, T provides a model prompt by using the description from the audio transcript  and DALL·E generates an image from that input. Students check if the picture created by the AI tool is similar to the one in the book. If not, T then improves the same prompt by adding adjectives, specific objects, time of day, season, setting/context, and the desired style and mood — for example: “dreamy twilight, oil-painting style.” 

WHAT’S NEXT

After students get their final images , they upload the pictures to a padlet without adding any description or name. T projects the padlet with all the pictures. Then, each group reads aloud its description (prompt) and the rest of the class tries to guess which picture it belongs to. 

After the reading and guessing activity, T assigns  a peer evaluation to each group. Teacher provides a simple evaluation rubric (displayed on screen or handout)::

After completing the rubrics, each group shares their evaluations, explaining why and supporting their choices.

REFLEXION

To round off the class and reflect on the use of AI, T asks:

• Did you find it easy to create the picture you wanted with DALL·E 3?

• What are the pros and cons of creating and modifying pictures with AI?

The lesson plan starts with the warmer activity, which targets the lower cognitive levels (Remember and Understand) by encouraging students to recall and discuss vocabulary connected to visual content, thereby activating prior knowledge . In the web activity students identify descriptive expressions during a listening exercise, and then move to the Apply stage when they use these expressions to describe new pictures in pairs (Krathwohl, 2002).

The DALL·E 3 task then develops higher-order thinking skills, as students must analyze what makes an effective image prompt, evaluate and refine their drafts, and ultimately create improved versions—an iterative process that fosters evaluative and creative thinking . The guessing activity further engages the Analyze and Evaluate stages, prompting learners to connect verbal descriptions to visual representations and critique the clarity and precision of their classmates’ prompts, which enhances their metalinguistic awareness . Finally, the reflection stage promotes advanced evaluative and metacognitive thinking, as students assess the strengths and limitations of using AI tools like DALL·E 3 in language learning (Krathwohl, 2002).

The Digital Competence Framework for Educators (DigCompEdu), developed by the European Commission (Redecker, 2017), provides a comprehensive model for integrating digital technologies in education. It identifies six key competence areas that describe how educators can effectively use digital tools for professional and pedagogical purposes:

Area1: Professional Engagement – using digital technologies for communication, collaboration, and professional development.

Area 2: Digital Resources – creating, sharing, and evaluating digital materials.

Area 3: Teaching and Learning – managing and orchestrating digital learning activities.

Area 4: Assessment – using technology to enhance assessment practices.

Area 5: Empowering Learners – using digital tools to foster active learning, differentiation, and inclusion.

Area 6: Facilitating Learners’ Digital Competence – helping students develop their own digital literacy and responsible use of technology.

This framework encourages educators not only to use digital tools effectively but also to design pedagogically sound, learner-centered experiences that develop students’ critical, creative, and reflective use of technology (Redecker & Punie, 2017).

According to the DigCompEdu Framework (Redecker, 2017), digitally competent educators integrate technology to enhance learning through six key areas: professional engagement, digital resources, teaching and learning, assessment, empowering learners, and facilitating learners’ digital competence. This lesson aligns with Areas 2, 3, 5, and 6. The teacher integrates digital resources such as a recording, Padlet, and DALL·E 3 to support language learning and creativity. The design promotes active learning and collaboration as students co-create visual and verbal content while refining AI-generated prompts. Learners are empowered to take ownership of their creative process and develop critical digital literacy through reflection on the ethical and practical use of AI. To conclude, the lesson demonstrates a balanced integration of digital and linguistic goals, fostering both communicative competence and responsible technology use.